The voices were loud, with many calling for the Pittsburgh Penguins to fire head coach Mike Sullivan. The Penguins had missed the playoffs two years in a row, and from the beginning of this season, they have looked like a team destined to extend that streak to a third.
The Plight of the Penguins
To put their situation into perspective, here’s a look at where the Penguins stand:
- They have not won a playoff series since 2018 and rank second-to-last in the Eastern Conference.
- Tristan Jarry, who Kyle Dubas signed to a five-year contract two summers ago, was waived and sent down to the minor leagues for good on Jan. 16.
- The Penguins have the 3rd worst goal differential in the NHL at -39.
So, other than those minor issues, everything is going according to plan, right? Should Sullivan head toward the unemployment line?
Mike Sullivan’s Job Security
There has been no indication from General Manager Kyle Dubas or ownership that they are considering moving on from Sullivan. Although, at times, it seems like his message has grown stale in the locker room, the Penguins are sticking with their guy.
It’s remarkable, considering that hockey coaches traditionally have short tenures. As the saying goes, “It’s easier to get rid of one guy than it is 20.” So, you would think that with everything noted above, and as the second longest-tenured coach in the NHL, Sullivan is in the hot seat. But he’s not. His seat appears to be plenty comfortable behind the bench, and I think the Penguins keeping him there is the right move.
Earlier this season, the Penguins were a complete mess – defensively, offensively, and schematically. Players were often out of position, and it seemed like no players were listening to anything their coaches had to say. Part of that is on Sullivan. But to his credit, the team has largely overcome their incompetence to start putting together stretches where they look like a playoff team.
Even still, they will follow up a 5-3 win against Connor McDavid and the mighty Edmonton Oilers by laying an egg and losing 5-0 to the Ottawa Senators on home ice two days later.
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They started their recent West Coast trip by handily defeating the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 but followed that up by losing three straight to teams out of the playoff picture. They are maddeningly inconsistent, but given their roster, what else are they supposed to be?
Mike Sullivan Is Doing the Best He Can With What He Has
We know Sidney Crosby is still a star. Evgeni Malkin, while fading, is still a quality number-two center. Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust are both top-notch contributors, but other than that, who is there for Sullivan to turn to? Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson will flash offensive brilliance as often as they gift-wrap scoring opportunities for the other team. Ryan Graves has proven to be one of the worst free-agent signings in recent memory.
Before he was waived, Jarry gave up a goal within the first six shots of the game in 16 of his 22 starts. In six of those games, he gave up a goal on the first shot. The team has no scoring depth, while backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic had more goals and assists in January than the entire fourth line had combined. COMBINED. You can’t win without depth scoring, and how much of that falls on Sullivan?
Who’s to Blame?
It wasn’t Sullivan who signed Jarry and Graves to their terrible contracts, it was Dubas. Before Dubas, it wasn’t Sullivan who let players like Brandon Tanev and Jared McCann walk away to keep an aging Jeff Carter, it was Ron Hextall.
What good would the Penguins accomplish by firing Sullivan? The team has little NHL talent, and that doesn’t fall on Sullivan’s shoulders. If you look at their lineup, it’s impressive that they have been able to hang near the playoff picture this long. Maybe Sullivan is the right man to steer the ship, but he needs more competent deckhands around him.
The Penguins aren’t a very good team. If the eye test doesn’t tell you that, the standings will. Yes, some of that falls on Sullivan, and he will often shoulder the blame, but I don’t know what else he can do. You can’t blame the cook when the ingredients have all spoiled – just get him some fresh stuff to work with. Then maybe they’d be back where they wanted to be, or at least they wouldn’t be eating garbage.
Firing Sullivan would give the Penguins the illusion that they are fixing the problem, but it would be just that, an illusion. The best way to fix what is wrong is to restock the system with young NHL talent. Dubas appears intent on doing that, and if he adds the right pieces, they could be back competing for a Stanley Cup in the next season or two – and when they are contenders again, they’ll be looking for a coach exactly like Sullivan. So, they might as well keep him where he is.
